The Lost Faction
by Patrick O'Ceannliath
Summary: As the Erudite Initiation draws to a close, Erudite Initiates Sundeep Nayak (Erudite-born), Caleb Prior (Abnegation Transfer), and Xella Goodall (Candor Transfer) are tasked with presenting their knowledge of History. As the trio divides their subject into thirds, Xella Goodall is tasked with researching the history of the 5 Factions; but were there only 5?


**THE LOST FACTION**

By Patrick O'Ceannliath

**CHAPTER 1**

"Congratulations Initiates!" beamed Jeanine Matthews.

The leader of Erudite gestured her hand toward a small crowd, gathered in an auditorium-style classroom within a building that was once known as Cobb Lecture Hall.

Despite the vastness of the hall, only 18 individuals, all clad in at least one blue piece of fabric, could be seen.

"You have come this far because your aptitude and academic process has preceded all those before you in your rite of initiation." explained Matthews. "Therefore, in keeping with the traditions of Erudite, only 8 of you shall proceed to the ascension of Erudite, and like your trials before you, this shall be based solely upon your aptitude and intelligence."

The Erudite Initiates leaned forward, each hanging on closely to what their Faction Leader had to say. Many vigorously took notes, others resigned their leader's words to audio and/or visual recording devices, and a small few simply offered their sheer and undivided attention, drinking in Jeanine Matthews' every word.

"As you have gathered from the Erudite Manifesto, Erudite firmly believes in the following 6 scopes of knowledge." explained Matthews. "Sociology, Psychology, Mathematics, Science, Communication, and History."

Jeanine took a brief drink of water before continuing. Clearing her throat would not only seem crude in the eyes of Erudite, but with her position as leader, it could also communicate uncertainty in her words.

"Therefore, each of you shall demonstrate your knowledge in these separate but necessary disciplines." continued Matthews. "Erudite is no doubt a popular Faction for both birth and transfers, and is as elite as it is popular. Ergo, only a select few of you shall be allowed to continue into the Erudite Faction. The final initiation phase for Eruduite shall be in 2 Phases. 18 of you remain, and for the first phase of the final step of your initiation, you shall be divided into groups of 3. Each group shall be assigned one of these disciplines to extensively research, and each group shall publicly present their thesis on the matter 12 days hence from this time, demonstrating their unadulterated and comprehensive knowledge of this discipline; in the meantime, you will face the individual, routine Erudite challenges and assessments that await you, so this will be your most rigorous study period yet. For your subject matter, you shall be assessed both collectively, and individually; the individual demonstrating the highest IQ score in their particular subject matter shall proceed along to Phase 2, as well as all 3 members of the group presenting the highest collective cognizance of their subject matter, or the highest IQ score plus the top 2 in their group and the next highest scoring member, should the highest IQ scorer be within the highest collective group. As for the rest, the highest 2 scoring members in each subsequent group shall then move along Phase 2, with the exception of the 2 lowest scoring groups and/or members, leaving a total of 12 remaining. In Phase 2, a comprehensive aptitude test, culminating all knowledge learned both before and during your initiation, shall commence, and only the top 8 highest scoring Initiates shall be allowed to become Erudite. All those unsuccessful shall join the ranks of the Factionless. Are there any questions?"

The room was dead silent, aside from the scribbling of notes, and petrified stares.

"Splendid." said Matthews. "Now, thanks to our highly sophisticated selection hardware and programs, each individual shall be assigned to a particular discipline, based upon the program algorithm's assessment of competency, challenge, and probability of success versus failure, thus blending each group with the utmost perfection. Your progress to date has been recorded into our database, and it is with this data, plus the inherent programming, that will determine your discipline. Therefore, you shall be dismissed in precisely 2 minutes, and to receive your area of discipline, simply imprint your thumbprint upon the touch screen before you leave the auditorium, and you shall receive your assigned discipline; it is recommended that you convene with your fellow group mates upon receipt of your assignment in the Lab Annex, rather than simply leaving, after dismissal. Enjoy your evening Initiates, and may your intelligence and wisdom guide you towards your destiny."

2 minutes passed, and the scratching of pencils and pens ceased, replaced by the murmur of students leaving from their seats, and also both the diverse collection of disdain and optimism that comprised the reaction of the Initiate population.

The Initiates filed out from the lecture hall, each stopping before the computer one-by-one to receive their designation group, and discipline to research.

Caleb Prior, transfer from Abnegation, was among the final departed from the auditorium, and his noises of vigorous documentation through taking notes was one of those heard during various stages of the presentation. With a sigh, Caleb pressed his thumb to the machine, and awaited a response, which came in the form of a printed paper.

Taking the paper in his hand, Caleb read the words that cemented his group topic.

"HISTORY"

Caleb felt disappointed, but at the same time, accepted the challenge. All his life, the greatest discipline of Erudite that Caleb excelled at was Science, and although he never scored below average in the History section, he felt much more in his element when it came to Science. He would've accepted Mathematics as a good second, but after some mental griping to himself, Caleb resigned himself to covering history, and exited the auditorium to Lab Annex to find his group mates.

The Lab Annex was noticeably segregated, obviously once used as a physical laboratory where life science studies and experiments took place. As almost by design of the Erudite Manifesto, 6 lab tables existed, and waiting at each table, were the Initiates, each holding the paper containing their subject in their hand.

Caleb walked between the aisles of the tables, as each were labeled by discipline. Passing by the Sociology table, it was comprised of almost all transfers from various Factions, particularly Amity. Caleb gazed at the Science and Mathematics tables, and quite opposite of Sociology, they were comprised, undoubtedly and exclusively, of Erudite-born Initiates, making Caleb wonder if their upbringing made them predisposed to the choice of the machine, if they had to earn it, if nepotism was involved, or a combination of all 3. From the Communication table, Caleb recognized at least one being a transfer from Abnegation, a childhood friend nonetheless, and the rest he remained unsure of. Psychology he could not tell whether it was 2/3rds Erudite, 2/3rds Candor, or neither.

Finally, when Caleb reached the History table, he could tell his was an entire melting pot of the Factions.

At the head of the table stood a thin yet athletic, spectacled, dark-skinned boy, who gave Caleb a death stare from the moment he made eye contact with him. To the right of the table, there was a petite girl, slightly heavy yet not overweight, who wore a black and white bow in her curly, mousy-brown hair, and had icy blue eyes, wearing an expressionless face as she watched Caleb take his seat on the left. Settling in, and keeping with an old Abnegation habit, Caleb waited for others to introduce themselves before speaking.

"I might as well start to avoid any tension." said the mousy-haired girl. "My name that I have chosen in my new Faction is Xella Goodall, but my birth name is Allison Fischer, I am a transfer from Candor, and I have been assigned to History."

"'Thank you for your honesty.'" said the dark-skinned boy in a mocking tone. "I guess if I cannot be with other Erudite, Candor would be my next logical and most successful choice."

The dark-skinned boy stood up, glaring at both Xella and Caleb.

"I am Sundeep Nayak." said the boy in a definitive and surly tone. "I am born and raised Erudite, unlike the both of you. Ever since my birth, I have known nothing but knowledge, and my IQ is higher than any combined in this room. I am appalled and insulted that I have been assigned to 2 individuals who are not only not even close to my IQ level, but 2 Erudite transfers nonetheless. I have no intention of becoming Factionless, and I will be leading this group. If neither of you like it, it makes no difference to me, as I will no doubt outshine you in every aspect of presenting History to our Erudite leaders. If you cannot keep up, please excuse yourself from the Initiation process, or commit suicide; it's all the same to me. I will not, under any circumstances, tolerate you dragging my progress down, so this is your notice to pull your weight, and I will make you eternally sorry if you do not."

Sundeep turned to Caleb with a sour look.

"You're the quiet one." said Sundeep. "No doubt you're from Abnegation. I don't know whether to commend you for having higher standards, or do you a favor and show you the door to savr you the embarrassment of failure. I guess at least we can count on you to do the work and research

Caleb cleared his throat, and began to speak, irritated by Sundeep's prejudice and arrogance.

"Yes, I am a transfer from Abnegation." said Caleb. "My name is Caleb Prior, and unlike those born with a blue spoon in their mouths, with intellectual upbringing since birth, I intend to earn my place among this Faction, and take nothing for granted. The 3 of us will be working as a team, and as Jeanine said, not only will they be looking at us individually, but collectively. So, I intend to work WITH the both of you, not against you. As for what work I will be doing, I'll be doing the work that will best benefit our group, not simply leftover work. So, I think we'll be more successful with our strength in numbers at first, and if it doesn't work out, we can always 'do our own thing' as they say."

"OK gentlemen, enough with the testosterone-pissing contest." said Xella. "Sundeep, you're an arrogant Erudite hellbent on out-Eruditing the other members of your Faction, much less what you perceive as us lowly 'transfers'. Caleb, you transferred to Erudite, so you may not be as selfless as your birth Faction lets on, but its still inherent in you, just as Candor is inherent in me. I have no plans of being left behind, with or without you, but I DO intend to score the highest marks both collectively and non-collectively. I can't speak for the rest of you, but I intend to pull my weight. While this is a veiled competition, we still will have to work together to get to where each of us want to be, so while I appreciate where you all stand, let's cut the past-factor crap and get down to business, shall we?"

Caleb and Sundeep looked on at Xella, which Xella tried to discern in her mind what they were thinking; was it insult, disbelief, shock, or all of the above.

"Typical of a smart-mouthed Candor." said Sundeep smugly.

"An even more typical response from a blue-spoon-shoved-up-my-ass Erudite." said Xella. "Almost as typical as the macho response my ex-boyfriend gave me when he left for Dauntless."

"What's the matter Candor, miss your smoke break?" asked Sundeep sarcastically.

"Actually I quit before I pledged Erudite." said Xella. "As for being called 'Candor', technically it's Initiate, same as you, and if you aren't careful you might find others calling you 'Factionless'. Any other questions?"

"Xella, Sundeep, really?!" said Caleb. "This is nonsense. We've been given a task, so why don't we just get down to it, past Factions be damned, alright?!"

"Fine by me." said Xella. "Might want to ask Sundeep what he plans for us."

"Fine Candor, have it your way." said Sundeep. "The way I see it, our entire history is divided into 3 sections; history before the Factions, history at the beginning and up-to the Factions, and the glorious history of Erudite. Being that I've been born and raised Erudite, I don't see any credentials from either of you ousting me from covering that portion of history."

"Actually, I find the history of all the Factions quite fascinating, so I could care less." said Xella.

"Fine then." said Sundeep. "What about you Abnegation, any objections to covering pre-Faction history?"

"It's Caleb, Sundeep, and I'm Erudite just like you." asserted Caleb. "And no, I'm probably better at either of you in this subject matter anyway, so I'm all for being in agreement."

"It's settled then." said Xella.

"Very well." said Sundeep. "We have 12 days for our presentation; we will meet every 3 days to update each other on our progress back at the Erudite Initiate dormitories. Any objections?"

"None." said Caleb.

"No objections." said Xella. "However, we should probably meet on days 10 and 11, to get everything together; it's the most logical solution."

Sundeep opened his mouth to argue and assert himself with Xella, but stopped himself short, after going over it in his mind.

"That is logical." said Sundeep. "OK, so we meet on days, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, and deliver or presentation on day 12. All in agreement?"

"Agreed!" said Xella.

"Agreed!" seconded Caleb.

"Agreed." said Sundeep. "Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day, and gain some productive sleep. I will see you both in 3 days."

Without saying another word, Sundeep strutted off, attempting to commingle with the other Erudite-born Initiates, only to find his peers who had been selected into other groups rebuffing him, and he slyly tried to slip away back to the dormitories.

"Pride always comes before the fall." said Xella. "I wish I could smoke right now."

"That's great teamwork Xella, from both of you." said Caleb sarcastically.

Before Xella could answer, they were both interrupted by the presence of Jeanine Matthews.

"Caleb Prior, I find your selected subject and group quite intriguing." said Jeanine Matthews with a smile. "As you recall, I have extra work for you in the laboratory, after hours. I promise this will not interfere with your regularly scheduled Initiate responsibilities."

"Of course Jeanine." said Caleb, turning to Xella politely. "I'll see you in 3 days then I guess?"

"That's the plan." said Xella.

With that, Jeanine and Caleb left together, talking as if they had been colleagues for years, and Xella made her way back to the female Initiate's dormitory.

Xella often wondered about her choice to become Erudite over Candor. Of course, with Candor, the security of the truth, the knowledge that you were always honest, had been a reassuring factor instilled within the Fischer family for generations. She was the first Fischer to defect from the long line of Candors produced from her family name, thus prompting her to create a new name for herself; the girl that was once Allison Fischer, Candor, was now Xella Goodall, Erudite Initiate.

Since the age of the factions, there was much knowledge that had been discovered, and much knowledge still to be sought; despite being Candor, Allison always admired that pursuit for knowledge, and in her schoolwork, showed an aptitude for life sciences. She always identified with the most intelligent individuals, as well as the most intelligent organisms, especially her favorite non-human species, Rhinopithecus Roxellana.

As Allison had discovered, for many years, human beings thought the next most intelligent animal species next to them were members of the Pan genus, such as the Chimpanzee and Bonobo, followed by the Sus genus, comprised of swine and pigs, third by the Tursiops genus, solely the bottlenose dolphin; all of these known as "The Big 3" in the intelligence community. Yet, with modern technology and research throughout the years, it was discovered that none of these species even came close to being second intelligent when pitted against Rhinopithecus Roxellana, the blue snub-nosed monkey.

As Xella remembered from her schoolbooks and literature as a child, Rhinopithecus Roxellana was extensively studied in Myanmar by the Primatologist Ezra Kyi, great-grandson of Merlin van Lawick, and great-great-great grandson of Primatologist Jane Goodall. In his research, Kyi compared Rhinopithecus Roxellana against The Big 3, using the most state-of-the-art research and scientific methods never before seen in mankind, assessing this species against The Big 3 in terms of intelligence, behavior, social structure, anatomy, physiology, cognitive processing, cause/effect reaction, and communication. Astoundingly, Rhinopithecus Roxellana septupled each genus in every category, performing everything short of human speech and human practical application, soaring to the top of the list as the second most intelligent species next to humankind, and changing everything humankind knew about the animal world.

Always a firm believer in this revelation since she was young, Allison Fischer embraced Kyi's research and teachings, owning every book the Primatologist offered, and never lost sight of his teachings or his research. During her Choosing Ceremony, Allison was inspired by Kyi to draw her blood atop the water, and pass the first stage of initiation with a new name of her choosing as her reward, Xella Goodall; Xella, taking the middle portion of the "Roxella" portion of Rhinopithecus Roxellana as her first name, and choosing the surname of Ezra Kyi's pioneer of a Primatologist ancestor as her own surname, Jane Goodall.

Settling into the dormitory, Xella reflected on how she came to choose Erudite, as well as all she knew, and was slightly intimidated, but ready, for the challenges that lie ahead of her during the final stages of Erudite Initiation. Snuggling against her plush Rhinopithecus Roxella, Xella drifted off to sleep, ready to begin her research trek upon waking.


End file.
